UK: Boris Johnson’s Conservatives lose two by-elections, party chairman resigns

The conservatives, in power, suffered two heavy defeats in partial parliamentary elections on Friday, June 24. “We cannot carry on as if nothing had happened”, decided the chairman of the Conservative Party, Oliver Dowden, announcing his resignation shortly after these results. The defeats “are the latest in a series of very bad results for our party”, Mr Dowden wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, adding that “someone has to take responsibility”. My letter of resignation to the Prime Minister. https://t.co/xd5MtM2o3n— OliverDowden (@Oliver Dowden) In Thursday’s election, the centrist Liberal Democrats overthrew the Conservative majority to win South West constituency Tiverton and Honiton Conservative England since its inception in 1997. The main opposition Labor Party reclaimed the constituency of Wakefield in northern England, a traditionally Labor stronghold but snatched by the Tories in their December triumph 2019. These elections were organized after two resignations of former Conservative MPs. The Wakefield poll was triggered by the resignation of Imran Khan, sentenced to eighteen months in prison for the sexual assault of a teenager. In Tiverton and Honiton, 65-year-old MP Neil Parish tendered his resignation after admitting to watching pornography on his phone in Parliament. Read also Article reserved for our subscribers A year of drift at 10 Downing Street “Loss of confidence” In speeches hailing their victories, the two newly elected MPs said that the United Kingdom had lost faith in Boris Johnson and had urged to resign. Opposition Leader Keir Starmer, who is considering replacing Mr Johnson as Prime Minister after the next general election due in 2024, has claimed that Wakefield “could be the birthplace of the next Labor government”. “Wakefield has shown that the country has lost faith in the Tories,” he said in a statement. “This result is a clear verdict for a Conservative Party that is running out of energy and ideas. Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers “Partygate”: Boris Johnson obtains the confidence of Conservative MPs, but emerges very weakened from the vote The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey, estimated that his party had made “political history with this stunning victory” and that it was a “wake-up call for all those Tory MPs who support Boris Johnson”. “The people of Tiverton and Honiton have spoken on behalf of the country,” he added. “The public is fed up with Boris Johnson’s lies and law breaking, and it’s time Tory MPs finally do the right thing and fire him. Refusal to resign Mr. Johnson spent months fighting for his survival after a series of controversies, in particular the “partygate” – these evenings organized in spite of containment measures – which undermined his legitimacy as leader of the party. The prime minister ruled out on Thursday, while in Rwanda for a Commonwealth summit, resigning in the event of a defeat. But two weeks after surviving a vote of no confidence in the wake of “partygate”, these results risk accentuating the climate of distrust within the majority. Even before the controversy erupted in December, the 58-year-old Brexit architect had lost two once secure seats in a by-election last year. He then scored very poorly in the local elections in May. Weeks later, dozens of Tory MPs triggered a vote of no confidence in Mr Johnson, and more than 40% of them turned their backs on their ailing leader. The context is proving unfavorable for his government, with inflation at its highest for forty years – exceeding 9% – at the origin of a massive strike by railway workers, and the recent failure of a much criticized attempt to deport migrants to Rwanda. Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers In the United Kingdom, the “cost of living crisis” Le Monde with AFP